Transit strike has mixed impact on small business
The Metro Transit Strike in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is having a mixed impact on the city's small businesses. But those affected are stepping up in a big way to help their employees make it to work.
A new survey from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) found 55 per cent of HRM businesses say the transit strike is negatively affecting their operations; 40 per cent say business is unaffected.
"The transit strike has been especially difficult for businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors," said Amelia DeMarco, CFIB's Senior Policy Analyst. "Employees are having trouble getting to and from work and sales have dropped as customers find it hard to get to their business."
Despite these problems, most businesses are finding ways to cope, which includes paying out of pocket. Many business owners pick up and drop off employees themselves; others pay for taxis to get employees to and from work. Forty per cent of employers are adjusting work schedules and one-third are arranging carpooling for staff.
While businesses are eager to see an end to the strike, they want the outcome to be one the city can afford. Fifty-five per cent of business owners say they support replacing the union's right to strike with binding arbitration, but only if certain criteria is taken into account when deciding the terms of the agreement, such as the impact on taxpayers and pay for comparable jobs. Those not supporting arbitration expressed a high degree of concern with its potential cost for taxpayers.
"As employers, business owners understand better than anyone the importance of keeping costs affordable in the long-term," said CFIB's Atlantic VP Leanne Hachey, "and they view this issue through that lens. They want to see the buses running again, but not at any cost to taxpayers."
A summary of the results can be found at http://cfib.ca/a3772e
For further information contact Leanne Hachey or Amelia DeMarco at (902) 420-1997.
As Canada's largest association of small- and medium-sized businesses, CFIB is Powered by EntrepreneursTM. Established in 1971, CFIB takes direction from more than 108,000 members in every sector nationwide, giving independent business a strong and influential voice at all levels of government and helping to grow the economy.
